Gia Long Tomb- Royal Tomb Of Emperor Gia Long

Gia Long Tomb Introduction

Gia Long Tomb is not only the resting place of the founding Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty but also proof of the Emperor’s loyalty and his eternal love for his wife, the Thua Thien Cao empress. Two dolmens side by side for hundreds of years represent the love and companionship in life and in the other side of the world.

Tomb of Gia Long Location

As a tourist attraction quite far from the city center, the Gia Long Tomb is located about 20 km from Hue citadel to the west. It is in Dinh Mon village, Huong Tho commune, Huong Tra district.

As a hilly area between the left and right river sources of the Perfume River is considered a location that collects all good spirits from all directions. A long time ago, the only means of transportation to come here was by boat. However, nowadays, visitors can get to this place in 2 ways:

Go through the pontoon bridge built by people across the Ta Trach River to get to the Royal Tombs of Emperor Gia Long.

Take a Hue Private Car on the main road running through Tuan Bridge, Minh Mang Tomb, and Huu Trach Bridge across the Huu Trach river.

• You may be interested in our Hue City Private Tour, Hue Royal Tombs Tour.

Gia Long Emperor Bio

Gia Long Emperor was born in 1762 with the real name Nguyen Phuc Anh (commonly known as Nguyen Anh), is the founder of the Nguyen Dynasty – the last dynasty in Vietnam’s feudal history.

He ascended to the throne in 1802 and ruled the country until passed away in 1802. As a martial general, Emperor Gia Long was extremely strong, but few people know that this Emperor also had a loyal and eternal love with his wife, Thua Thien Cao empress.

The enteral husband and wife relationship between the emperor and the empress touched many people, especially through the things the king did after the queen passed away.

In 1814, the Emperor mourned the empress so much that he decided to build a mausoleum to follow the funeral ceremony of the ancients so that after his death he would also be buried next to his soulmate.

When they were alive, they had many days of suffering together with their love and affection, so when they passed away, the Emperor still wanted to be with his wife for the rest of his life. This is the reason why Gia Long’s tomb becomes a unique mausoleum work that is different from other Hue Royal Tombs.

Tomb Of Gia Long Structure

Overall, Gia Long Tomb is divided into 3 main areas: the Burial area, Stone Stele Pavilion, and Minh Thanh Palace.

The Burial Area

In the center of the complex are two double burial graves of Emperor Gia Long and Thua Thien Cao Empress, located on Chinh Trung hill. Two stone graves of the same size, separated by only 1 hand, do not have carved patterns, are not painted with gold. It is just simple as their eternal love.

The unique feature is that if you standing from the back, looking at the confluence between the roofs of the two graves, you will see Dai Thien Tho mountain peak in the middle, accurate to “not even an inch”. This is the detail that makes Gia Long Tomb has the most unique Fengshui architecture in Vietnam.

Outside the graves is a solid wall system called “Buu Thanh”. The bronze gate of Buu Thanh is the place leading to the resting place of the Emperor and Empress. Every year, this gate is only opened on Tet holidays, anniversaries… to clean, repair, and set up offerings.

Below are 7 steps of the sacrifice yard, including the courtyard paved with Bat Trang bricks. There are two rows of stone statues carved with the image of civil servants, martial officers standing in adoration. Moreover, you will also see stone statues of war elephants and majestically guarded war horses.

Stone Stele Pavilion

To the left of the Gia Long Tomb burial area is Bi Dinh – the stele pavilion inscribed with the merits. This is a must-have monument present in most of the mausoleums of the Nguyen Dynasty Emperors.

In Bi Dinh is a stele “Thanh Duc Than Cong” that Minh Mang Emperor erected to praise his father (the first Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty). The stele is carved with delicate patterns and is still legible after nearly 200 years.

Minh Thanh Palace

To the right of the Gia Long mausoleum is the Minh Thanh Palace located in the central area, located on Bach Son, and surrounded by a wall. This is a place of worshiping area for burning incense, praying, and setting up offerings to the Emperor and Empress.

In the past, inside the Palace, there were many memorabilia associated with the wartime life of Gia Long Emperor such as helmets, saddles, swords, etc. After many ups and downs of the times, these memorabilia were no longer available.

In addition to Thien Tho Tomb, the Gia Long Tomb complex has other tombs of Nguyen royal members. It is including Thien Tho Huu Tomb, Quang Hung Tomb, Truong Phong Tomb, Vinh Mau Tomb, Thoai Thanh Tomb, and Hoang Co Tomb.

Thien Tho Huu Tomb & Gia Thanh Palace

In the complex of Gia Long mausoleum, the most notable are Thien Tho Huu Mausoleum and Gia Thanh Palace. Which are the burial place and shrine of Thuan Thien Cao empress- the second wife of Gia Long and also the mother of Minh Mang Emperor.

Gia Thanh Palace is the place to worship Thuan Thien Cao empress, located next to her grave, with the same architecture as Minh Thanh Palace. Gia Thanh Palace is a work that is loved by a lot of people because of its beautiful landscape and harmony with the whole complex.

According to the overall evaluation, the architecture of the Gia Long Tomb is very simple compared to the later Minh Mang Tomb, Tu Duc Tomb, or Khai Dinh Tomb. However, the true value of the mausoleum is the harmonious coordination between the natural landscape and architecture.

Hoi An Private Taxi